'War of the Worlds' Episode 3 Review: A compelling chapter where the world switches to survival mode
Spoiler alert for 'War of the Worlds' Episode 3
There's a sliver of hope. Mind you, it's just a sliver because mankind still has no answer to the extraterrestrials' relenetless and ruthless attack. Episode 3 sees the earth getting back painfully slowly on its feet, and trying to survive a minute-at-a-time.
There's also a revelation — these metallic beings can be destroyed. But on the off chance an encounter ensues, it's almost always the invaders who snuff the humans out first.
Bill Ward and Helen Brown (Gabriel Byrne and Elizabeth McGovern) play pivotal roles in the episode especially with the former managing to unearth a lot more about the aliens after Helen kills one when it attacks Bill.
Underneath the muscled, metallic frame is an organic life form with a neuro-system more advanced than humans and this theory deduced by Bill might be the start for the many answers the humans are looking for.
Emily Gresham (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is the other central character with a major contribution with her connection to the EM-waves the extraterrestrials used. Her enhanced sense of hearing is the only warning the humans can look to as it sort of acts like a radar that picks out these threats.
And in what comes as an unbelievable storyline, Emily's sight is restored. While it does come in briefly at first and renders her blind again, her sight returns when she picks up these signals again.
While the episode does cement the theory there's a connection between her and the aliens, the how is yet to be explained. Stephen Campbell Moore's Jonathan Gresham gets some screentime and an ally as he resumes his risky journey to find his wife and kids making his way across the body-strewn streets.
The gritty tonality never changes despite the focus moving to different characters and the pall of gloom never seems to lift. The eerie silence that follows with occasional gunfire sets the tone for another compelling episode.
What's audacious about Episode 3 is the raw violence and while some may look at it as taking the on-screen blood splash pretty far, there's some logic behind the lunacy. It's a simple statement the writers intend to make: an invader doesn't care if the species in front is a child or an adult. Threats need to be eliminated.
Coming back to hope, the episode shows there are a few out there looking to go on the offensive. Call it seeking revenge, and it starts off with Helen who is seething mad at the aliens for killing her son.
The Greshams too find a couple of adventurous souls in Kareim Gat Wich Machar (Bayo Gbadamosi) and Ash Daniel (Aaron Hefferman) who are taking guard unaware they're perilously close to being hunted.
The series' re-imagined version of the classic invasion tale continues in the same vein as the first two episodes. There are crisp writing and unpredictable twists that keep the audience glued and wishing for more.
Final word: This series is worth the watch every Sunday. 'War of the Worlds' airs on Sundays at 9 pm ET on EPIX.
